Satisfaction with and Perceived Cultural Competency of Healthcare Providers: DISCUSSION
The principle purpose of the study was to ascertain if there was an association between satisfaction with healthcare, provider cultural competency and participation in healthcare research. Clinical investigators at CUMC were concerned with the low participation of ethnic minorities in healthcare research in the Omaha community, they asked the Office of Health Sciences: Multicultural and Community Affairs to explore the reason.
The results of the data are contradictory. Although the respondents indicate they are satisfied with healthcare, they indicate problems with written and oral communication, participation in the treatment and patient-doctor interaction. In addition, although the majority of respondents think that providers of different racial and ethnic group are familiar enough with their culture to treat them, 23 respondents did not. Nine of the respondents were not comfortable with the doctor’s medical knowledge of their illness. Twenty-nine respondents think certain illnesses are better treated by someone of the same racial or ethnic group.
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The high degree of satisfaction with healthcare in the Omaha medical community is astonishing given the cultural diversity and linguistic challenges. The fact that only a small percentage voice dissatisfaction may be attributed to the quality healthcare that most clients receive regardless of their ethnic or racial background. However, better communication may be the key to reducing and/or eliminating the dissatisfaction expressed by a small minority.
Professional interpreters should be available for all non-English speakers. In addition, providers may need to request an interpreter if s/he suspects the patient is having difficulty with English. We suspect most of the dissatisfaction with care resulted from a misunder-standing/miscommunication between provider and patient. However, all healthcare facilities in Omaha are being challenged to have bilingual and/or multilingual staff for potential non-English-speaking patients. discount cymbalta
In addition to linguistic problems, some respondents indicate that the healthcare provider’s lack of knowledge regarding their cultural background may have impacted the care they received. There were some illnesses that our respondents thought could be better treated by someone of the same ethnic or racial group. However, most of these respondents realize that there was a shortage of healthcare providers of their ethnic/racial background or who were familiar with their culture. Their willingness to participate in our study may be a reflection of this understanding. They wanted the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding healthcare in Omaha. In addition, many revealed that this was the first time they had ever been asked to participate in a healthcare study. In order for CUMC to increase the number of minority members in healthcare research, they need to make their research known to the com munity and actively recruit. It may not be sufficient to put an ad in a local newspaper. They must contact local organizations who can share the research objectives with their members.
Needless to say, we would be remiss if we did not suspect the Hawthorne effect operating in this study. The overwhelming satisfaction expressed by the respondents may be related to the study being conducted by a prestigious medical center. During our pilot study, participants revealed that this was the first time they had been asked to participate in a healthcare study and they felt honored. One could assume that participation in the main study had a similar effect; therefore, respondents may have been reluctant to say anything negative about healthcare providers. Respondents’ willingness to participate in future studies may be related to monetary remuneration as well as the “VIP” treatment they received during this study.
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CUMC has taken the first steps to improve relations between racial and ethnic minorities and healthcare providers in the Omaha community. We have asked the minority community why they are satisfied or dissatisfied with healthcare. We have sought to determine what barriers exist that would impede minority members participation in healthcare research. We have begun the dialog. The most important thing that we have learned from this study is that no matter how satisfied patients/clients say they are, there is always room for improvement in doctor/patient interaction and communication.
Category: Health
Tags: community, cultural competency, health disparities, minority population, researchers, satisfaction, trust